


five minutes more

by xxHereComesTheSunxx



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, F/M, Guardian Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Lots of Crying, Original Akuma (Miraculous Ladybug), Time Travel, Why Did I Write This?, but i say that still counts, but it's a relevant tag so oops, but it's like... weird, but original all the same!, but she's sad so i think she is allowed, idk it kinda applies so I'm leaving it, idk this is just sad, it's a stupid akuma, lots of hugs, marinette gets snippy, okay well it's a post mortem identity reveal, plagg is actually serious for once, season 3 spoilers kinda, that maybe spoils things, there is a lil bit of blood fair warning, they both get hurt and then there's kinda comfort, this is kinda very depressing i'm so sorry, well kinda hurt comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:21:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29538834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxHereComesTheSunxx/pseuds/xxHereComesTheSunxx
Summary: Marinette knew Chat had bad luck, but she had never imagined it would run out entirely.As the love of her life dies in her arms, she realizes she would do just about anything to get five minutes more.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 17
Kudos: 48





	1. five minutes more

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this dumptruck of an idea hit me like a bus the other day in the shower so now i share it with you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ouch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um so the akuma i made is very special and ladybug defeats him in a very special way because my creative juices were not flowing this evening. that is not the focus of the piece tho so just enjoy that crack before it all goes to shit :)
> 
> also i think technically the kwamis know what happens when their holder is transformed but in my fic that is not true. it doesn't really matter that much, but to reduce confusion, plagg and tikki basically black out when they help adrien or marinette enter hero mode
> 
> also (part two) if there are any errors (grammatical or otherwise) please let me know! i want my writing to be as enjoyable and understandable as possible and i am always very open to constructive criticism.
> 
> also (part three) i think i make some jokes where i maybe shouldn't have - i just couldn't resist and i think a warning is fair. they are stupid jokes that aren't really funny but they made me laugh at not funny parts so i'll just see you in hell ig

"LB, you okay? I was a bit worried after last night." Chat Noir’s back pressed up against Ladybug's as he spun his baton to fend off the oncoming slew of hot grease.

"Chat, I already apologized about missing patrol. I was busy." Irritation seeped into her voice as she looked around, trying desperately to figure out what on earth she was to do with the spotted bucket swaying mockingly from her fingertips. Marinette had been up nearly all night finishing school work and the latest design for Jagged Stone's new costume. She was exhausted and confused and most definitely did _not_ have the patience to speak with Chat Noir while trying to figure out how to fix everything on only two hours of sleep.

"But... you didn't miss patrol... on the roof you said that you..." Chat's cheeks glowed a violent red. 

"You must've had a crazy vivid dream, Alley Cat. I was home all night.” A splash of grease whizzed past Chat's baton and landed on Ladybug's ear, eliciting a hiss of pain. “What say you we resume this conversation after we deal with The Baconator?" The akuma's victim was a pig farmer who had lost a large chunk of his income after the premier breakfast nook in Paris switched pork suppliers. His intermittent squealing and grease shooting indicated he was not happy about that development.

"GIVE ME YOUR MIRACULOUS!" The Baconator's smooshed snout quivered in rage as he regurgitated yet another surge of steaming grease. He banged a cloven foot against the ground impatiently as the yellow tag on his ear waved in the wind.

"I would rather not." Chat stopped twirling his baton as the last of the grease passed them. He leaned on the extended, glorified walking stick and stared curiously at Ladybug. Her nose scrunched as she worried her lip between her teeth, her gaze shooting wildly back and forth as she waited for the objects around her to flash the indicative red and black.

"The akuma's gotta be in his ear tag. I don't see anywhere else it could be hiding."

"I shudder to think it _would_ be hiding anywhere else," Chat agreed with an impish grin on his face. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, it clicked. _It was so simple it might just work_.

"Ready with a cataclysm?"

"Need you even ask, Bugaboo?" The dark energy of destruction danced between his fingertips. 

She shot her yo-yo to a street lamp and whipped herself around it, flying towards The Baconator from behind. She landed hard on his back and slammed the bucket over his face, holding on for dear life as he bucked back and forth like a mechanical bull. 

"Sorry, this might hurt." She put a gloved hand on the ear tag and pulled, wincing as he howled when it sliced clean through his skin. "Don't worry, I'll fix that. Now, Chat Noir!"

Ladybug tossed him the tag and he caught it with his energized hand, letting it crumble to dust between his fingers. The man underneath Marinette was shrinking by the second so she quickly hopped off his back and raced to catch the dark purple butterfly before it could escape.

"No more evil doing for you little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" She trapped it in her yo-yo, letting Tikki do her work before opening it once more to release the creature back into the world. "Bye bye, little butterfly." Marinette watched with a gentle smile on her face as the white insect fluttered away. _Finally, time to go home and-_

"LADYBUG LOOK OUT!"

A bang and a passing flash of black made her jump nearly two meters in the air.

She looked over in confusion to see Chat lying on the ground, motionless. Her gaze shot up to see a tall, bulky figure dressed completely in black holding up a gun that still smoked from the heat of its most recent shot.

"Vive papillon." His mouth, just visible under the ski mask, stretched into a horrifying grin as he shoved the gun into his belt and sprinted away. 

Rage and panic consumed her all at once. Ladybug shot out her yo-yo, wrapping it around a street pole, fully prepared to pursue this man to the ends of the Earth. Just as she was about to let the yo-yo propel her forwards, a shuddering gasp rose up beside her. All at once it came rushing back to her as the three minute warning beeped in her ear. _LADYBUG LOOK OUT... passing flash of black... motionless_. 

Ladybug shook out of her stupor, eyes leaving the retreating assassin to land on her partners quivering form. She stood frozen in time, feet refusing to move from the cement they seemed to have bonded to.

The leather around his abdomen grew impossibly blacker as it stuck to his skin, slick with what she hoped beyond all hope wasn't blood. _Weren't these suits supposed to be indestructible?_

"CHAT!" Ladybug's feet finally moved as she pulled her yo-yo back to her, stumbling over to Chat Noir. She collapsed beside him and turned him over, pulling his lanky body to her. He lay across her sideways, head resting in the crook of her right elbow, torso draped unceremoniously across her legs. His deep green eyes couldn't seem to focus on anything as he heaved in jagged lungfuls of air.

"Looks like I re-" he coughed, pain etching onto his smooth features as a bubble of blood rose from his throat just to burst at the corner of his lips. "really fell for you, M'lady."

"Just keep falling for me, Kitty. You aren't going anywhere." She put as much weight as she could into her left hand, pushing it against the wound and praying that the pressure would be enough to keep her partner alive.

"Tell-" his breaths shuddered past his chapped lips. "Tell my dad..."

"Shhhh Chaton. You can tell him yourself. Besides-" Ladybug's voice cracked, the gravity of the situation truly hitting her. "I don't know who he is. We have to keep our ident... identities secret or we won't g-" A sharp inhalation disrupted her words. "get to keep fighting together."

"Nothing... can keep me from fighting with you... M'lady." His eyes fluttered closed and a lazy smile graced his features. "Mom..."

"Hey NO! STAY WITH ME!" Ladybug gently slapped Chat's face causing his eyelids to flutter as she looked around frantically. "SOMEONE CALL 112! NOW!" Her barked out order caused enraptured onlookers to scramble for their phones. Alya's voice rang through the crowd as her call went through. Typical: always first to the scene. The two minute warning rang out from her earrings as they flashed violently.

"Right under the Eiffel Tower, come quick - it's Chat Noir. He-"

Voices faded into the background, jumbling together as Ladybug kept glancing around for absolutely anything that could save the dying boy in her arms. That's when it hit her - the black and red speckled bucket sat just meters away. Her luck had never failed her before.

Chat's breathing was steadily getting slower and his eyes hadn't opened since they last closed.

_Please let this work - I'm begging you._

She quickly pushed Chat Noir off her lap and scrambled to the bucket. Those few meters felt like 10,000 and with every step she took, she could practically hear Chat's heart stuttering to a halt. _Maybe with the miraculous she actually can._

Panting, she threw the bucket into the starry blanket of night with all her might.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

The stream of ladybugs rushed out to quickly repair the burnt up shops and melted streets. They flew to her next, a cool wind healing the ear she didn't even remember she had burned. _Keep going, keep going._ She willed the bugs to circle around the boy who meant everything to her, but they didn't seem interested in the least. They even dared to fly right over him while refusing to make contact with his broken suit.

As the ladybugs disappeared into the night, the realization hit her. They could fight akumas all day. That was _easy_. At least then, when something was evil, you just had to break and cleanse to begin again. Humans were a different story. Humans were far from easy. She would always watch the news and hear Nadja Chamack speaking of terrorists and their fanatical attacks. She never imagined it would happen to her, and she never imagined she wouldn't be able to stop it if it did. She was helpless. The bullet had ripped clean through a suit that was supposed to be impervious to attack. Not even her lucky charm could permanently fix evil. No kwami could solve the great potential for darkness all humans held - Nooroo was a testament to that.

Fixing the destruction humans caused of their own free will was not in her job description.

Slowly, she stumbled back to where he lay, tenderly picking him up and cradling his head against her neck. Her gloved hands found their way into his messy blond hair as she held him tight against her. The one minute warning.

"Come on Chaton, don't do this to me. You promised." She choked on a sob. "You promised you would never leave me."

While swaying back and forth with his body pressed against hers, she suddenly felt leather melt away to be replaced by cotton.

_No._

"Gosh Adrien, my head is pounding! Why on Earth would you de-transform in such a-" the black kwami turned to look at his holder, lying limp in Ladybug's arms. "Shit."

Ladybug stiffened, opening her eyes to stare up at the black kwami who was obstructing her view of the Eiffel Tower.

"Plagg, did you just say Adrien?"

She pushed the body away from her that she had been clinging clinging to so desperately. Horror rose within her as she looked at the tousled blonde hair she so often saw from behind in class.

Suddenly everything made sense.

How when she had fallen asleep against Adrien on the train, it had felt so familiar and _safe_ , just like when she would lean against Chat on their cool summer night patrols.

How Adrien would grin whenever Tom Dupain made a particularly bad pun about bread.

How Adrien always brought Camembert to school even though he had claimed on multiple occasions to hate stinky cheese.

How Chat never seemed to want to go home and it was no secret that Gabriel Agreste was far from perfect.

How Adrien and Chat always seemed to be there to push her out of harm's way, whether she was Ladybug or Marinette

How Adrien fell asleep as often as she did in class... and how frequently he came up with God awful excuses to leave the second an akumatization was announced.

How his blond hair would fall to perfectly frame his face that looked like it was carved from stone. How his bright green eyes twinkled when the sunlight hit them at just the right angle. How she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. How his hand felt in hers. How the world felt right when she would throw her arms around him.

It all clicked and the horrifying _chk_ sounded louder than the sirens of the approaching ambulances.

"Adrien..."

The boy she had been in love with for years had been her best friend and closest confidant all along. 

And now there he sat peacefully, held up only by Ladybug's iron grip. Her hands shook and bile rose within her throat as desperation overtook her voice.

"Minou, wake up! It's me, Ladybug! You have to wake up. You said you wouldn't leave me ever again! You promised, in New York!" She shook like a leaf in the wind. "I love you Chaton."

Nothing. Not even a twitch. Only the final warning beep of her earrings. She couldn't even find it within herself to care that all of Paris was watching. What did it matter if everyone knew who she was? _Hawkmoth had already won._

Plagg flew down and slapped the boy's face back and forth. He proceeded to jump upon his chest in a pitiful attempt to enact CPR with his tiny feet. The god of destruction was left with the only thing he had ever known: death and decay.

"Could Tikki...?"

Plagg sadly looked at Ladybug as the last spot blinked.

"No. Not even Sugarcube can create life. It takes two for that tango."

Suddenly, Ladybug looked down at Adrien's ring and an overwhelming urge overcame her.

It would be so easy. She just had to put on the ring and he could come back to her. It would be like he never even left. Her hand closed around his.

Plagg seemed to read her mind.

"Woah woah woah goody two shoes. You would completely throw off the balance of the universe. There are some things that cost too much."

 _Losing Adrien costs too much_.

She knew in that instant that she would do it for him. She would do anything for him. She would destroy the world just to hear his voice for five minutes more. 

"Ladybug, we need you to let go of him so we can write up a report to share with his family." A tall woman looked at her sympathetically in front of a large group of people all dressed in paramedic uniforms.

_When did they get here? Why did they want to take him from her?_

Her disguise was seconds from melting away, but she couldn't find it within her to drop the body that still felt so warm in her hands. 

It was rash. Reckless. A completely idiotic decision. But what is love other than rash, reckless, and idiotic?

She buried her face in his hair and breathed in Adrien: The Fragrance as her mask melted off her face and the suit retreated from her skin.

"Marinette, could I please have a coo- Plagg?" The kwami looked around, bewildered. "Marinette, why are there so many peo-" her eyes locked on Adrien's motionless form. "Oh."

A violent, agonized sob ripped its way through to silence as Marinette held Adrien even tighter. 

The first responders stopped trying to pull her away and all of Paris watched in horror as the heroes came tumbling down from their immortal pedestals with a sickening crash.

It could have been seconds or it could have been years. All sense of time was lost to the tear stained Marinette as Chat Noir's body grew cold in her hands. Then, a warm hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump. _Alya. Always first to the scene._

"Mari..." Alya didn't know what to say. One of her best friends lay dead while the other looked not far from it.

Marinette's tears had slowed. Now she just swayed back and forth silently, not quite focusing on Alya's amber eyes.

"Mari they need...body...nothing we can...head back...bakery? I..." Alya faded in and out. Marinette was vaguely aware of a few sets of hands gently prying the corpse from her grasp and another hand snaking underneath her arm to help her up. Alya's hand rubbed up and down Marinette's back as they began the long walk to the bakery. It felt like Marinette no longer lived in her body, instead shoved into a far corner of her mind where all she could see was the bubble of blood bursting upon his lips as he cracked a shaky grin.

Marinette didn't look where she was going. All she could focus on other than the incessant image of him dying over and over again in her arms was the silver ring that burned a circle in her palm. She barely remembered grabbing it.

Plagg's voice snuck through the cracks that Alya's couldn't. "Marinette you can't. The cost would be-" 

"PLAGG I KNOW THE COST! GOD!" Alya jumped. Marinette didn't notice. She closed her hand tighter around the ring. "I just- I'm still the guardian. If Hawkmoth got his hands on the power of destruction..."

Suddenly Plagg got hit by an emotion gods don't normally feel: guilt.

"I'm sorry Princess... I didn't mean to assume, I just can't think straight right now. If I wasn't reminding you why you can't, I don't think I would be convinced enough myself to stop you."

Tikki's large eyes were filling with tears as she saw her oldest friend speak as he hadn't for nearly a millennia. The weight of what had just happened came crashing down on the red goddess. Tikki slammed against Marinette's cheek, wishing more than ever that she was people sized just so she could wrap Marinette in the bone-crushing hug she so desperately needed."

"Oh Marinette..." 

Her tears slid down her face, slicking Tikki's hands as she continue stumbling forward with Alya's hand rubbing circles on her back.

"I just... I just want five minutes more."


	2. into the rabbit hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two woohoo
> 
> i think maybe chapter content is predictable based on the title but uhhhh enjoy anyway.
> 
> also, highly recommend listening to "all i want" by kodaline and "i will spend my whole life loving you" by imaginary future if you like listening to music while you read because i was listening to those as i was writing. all i want is v marinette and i will spend my whole life is vvv adrien (also i listened to "stuff we did" from up while editing and also highly recommend, especially if words are distracting but soundless music is not). lowkey cried editing this but i'm not emotionally stable ever so idk
> 
> wow this made me feel many many emotions, i hope it does the same for you

Weeks passed by in a blur. Alya had apparently come by the bakery and even visited her room multiple times, but Marinette couldn't seem to recall seeing her since she called the ambulance on the night it happened. Marinette fingered the top of the pocket watch for the 29th time that day, staring deeply at the swirling design on the cover while two kwamis flew around her head and a third looked at her from her desk. These days, she would often switch between staring down Plagg's ring and Fluff's miraculous.

The first week after Adrien got hit, Tikki had hidden the ring. It wasn't that she didn't trust Marinette... it was just that she didn't trust Marinette. However, on day 16, Tikki realized that Marinette was even stronger than she had previously believed (which was really _, really_ strong) and stopped hiding it. Her holder was sad, but she wasn't stupid. No matter how much she thought about it, she would never do something so _reckless_ , even in the name of love.

"Is it dinner time or breakfast time? Either way I'm hungry! Besides, if you're going to be ogling my miraculous I might as well get a carrot out of it!" Fluff piped up as she settled on Marinette's left shoulder. Her comment went ignored.

"Marinette, you know you are only supposed to use the miraculous for the greater good. You shouldn't use it for personal reasons." Tikki realized this situation was far from easy, but she also knew Marinette was playing a dangerous game.

"Tikki I know... I just..." Her voice cracked. "I skipped patrol. Our last patrol and I-" She rested her forehead on her palm. "I missed it and now I'll never see him again. The power to talk to him... to touch him... to _see_ him one last time is in my hands. I can't just put it down and pretend it isn't there for the rest of my life. How would I be able to keep on living with myself? It's already hard enough knowing he di-" She couldn't seem to get the word out. "It's already hard enough knowing what he did for me."

"Well I think it's stupid of you to go... unless you take me with you." Plagg looked up from the desk where he was curled up on top of a pair of Adrien's socks. "I know I'll have to stay hidden but... his socks don't smell anymore. I just want to see his stupid face again."

Tikki looked sadly at her other half. "Plagg, you can't honestly be encouraging her to break every rule the guardians have followed since the beginning of time!"

Plagg glowered. "How would you feel if Adrien hadn't been quick enough to catch that bullet, Tikki? You're telling me you wouldn't want to see Marinette again, especially if it wouldn't cost the whole balance of the universe to do it?"

"Stinky, we have to-"

"No one said you had to come with us!" The black kwami shot up from the desk, fuming.

"There is no Ladybug without me." Her squeaky voice rose in indignation. "But... I wasn't going to stop you. I don't know what I would do if Adrien hadn't... I'm only going if we set down some ground rules. This is dangerous and time isn't a thing to be trifled with. Marinette," the kwami stopped her anxious flitting directly in front of her holder's nose, forcing Marinette to meet her gaze. "You can't go anywhere near the bakery. If you see yourself, past you will undoubtedly investigate which will completely change the timeline, which would be catastrophic. Try your hardest not to touch anything other than Chat and do _not_ under any circumstance let him know he is about to die. Do you understand?"

Marinette's mouth went dry as she nodded. An erratic bubbling that felt almost like hope circled around her heart as she looked down at the watch in her hands. Her fingers shook with _possibility._

"Fluff... clockwise!"

The white kwami was sucked out of the air and into the stop watch. A bright blue glow burst from the clock's face and circled around Marinette, rising up around her pajama clad frame before fading away to reveal a skin tight blue and white suit with an obnoxiously large cotton tail.

She stared down at her shaking, latex covered hands, only seconds away from the last five minutes she would ever get. "Dig!" Her voice rang out surprisingly strongly and a bright white hole ripped its way through the space-time continuum in front of her.

"Well, I guess there's no time like the past."

With that, Marinette, creation, and destruction stepped into the portal. Though she had traveled in time once or twice before with Bunnix, she didn't think she would ever get used to the feeling. Stepping into the portal was akin to stepping into a void. As her foot touched the white pseudo floor, it felt as though a rug had been pulled out from under her, leaving her floating in a little burrow where time and space simply didn't exist. It seemed like every particle in her body rearranged itself just so it wouldn't combust after coming in contact with the pure _otherness_ of the time burrow.

She walked around the endless room, surveying tunnel after tunnel. Marinette had been expecting to see him, but when the first memory appeared, she stopped dead in her tracks. The tunnel showed her younger self upon her tippy toes, pressing a kiss to Adrien's cheek. It felt like the temperature of the void dropped ten degrees while her own rose twenty as she watched his face glow pink. Young Marinette shook pastries from her foot as her entire class stared on in shock.

Marinette whipped around and hurriedly walked away from the memory only to be bombarded with another. She watched herself look in awe at Chat Noir, surveying the elaborate date he had created for Ladybug on the day she ditched him for ice cream. _The date he created for her_. 

A tear slipped from her bluebell eyes and she looked to the right, wishing more than anything for a blank wall to stare at. Instead, she was met with an image of Ladybug leaping from a building, desperately reaching for Adrien's hand after he had been dropped by his akumatized body guard. _The way his body had fit into hers..._

Marinette throwing her arms around Chat Noir on the balcony, declaring her undying love for him as Tom Dupain watched from inside her room.

Ladybug reaching up to kiss Chat Noir's black lips. 

Marinette desperately biking after Adrien on the rain-slicked New York City streets.

Chat Noir grabbing her hand and leaning in to kiss Ladybug before their memories returned. _So many kisses..._

Adrien and Marinette wearing ridiculous disguises, giggling in a movie theatre.

Three figures shrouded in black, watching on as dirt rained down onto a sleek maple coffin. A tear stained Alya, using one hand to rub Marinette's back and the other to squeeze life back into Nino's limp fingers. _She didn't even remember that._

Everywhere she looked, the green eyes pinned both her past and present selves. Always so constant and always so... _alive._

"Marinette, we have to find the right tunnel quickly." Tikki warily eyed Marinette's hand that had begun reaching for a memory without her conscious approval. Upon noticing, the arm fell limply to her side. Marinette opened her mouth as if to speak, floundered for a second, then shut it as another tear rolled down her flushed cheeks.

"You're right. I don't know where I'm going in here. Everywhere I turn I just get more lost."

"Oh, I knew this was a bad idea."

"No, not a bad idea, Tikki. Just..." Marinette trailed off and shook her head before focusing on her kwami. "Okay, do you know how to navigate in here?"

"Well I did help create it. I'm a little rusty but I think..." Her voice faded when she saw Plagg floating, ears and tail drooping as he stared intently into one of the tunnels.

_Adrien opened the black box and awe overtook the features of his fifteen-year-old face. "No way, you're like the genie in the lamp!"_

"Stinky?"

Plagg didn't look at Tikki upon hearing her voice.

"Plagg, we should-"

"He was so young. He knew so much about the world and cheese, but he was still so young, Tikki. He was stupid and in love and the worst thing is he didn't even get to experience it!"

The trio sat in silence, watching as Adrien transformed for the first time.

"Then let's go see him again." Tikki put a hand on Plagg's shoulder and forced a smile onto her face.

As Tikki ushered the group towards what Marinette assumed would be the correct tunnel, another image caught her attention.

Gabriel Agreste bent over a magnifying glass, a manic glint in his eye as he grabs a tool from Nathalie, the item underneath the glass appearing sickeningly similar to a bullet. _Vive Papillon_.

Marinette had never imagined Gabriel as anything other than a workaholic father who had a less than mediocre parenting style. Is it possible he could be-

"Marinette, we need to get out of here. It's dangerous to see all of time and space." Though Tikki was speaking to Marinette, her head was tilted up, eyes pinned on a grinning Egyptian dressed in black and red, swinging between the pyramids. "You see things you shouldn't."

The girl tore her gaze from the memory, shaking the treacherous thoughts of an evil Agreste out of her mind. 

"You're right. Now where do we go?" 

The kwami zipped over to a portal showing a quiet Paris street with a black figure jumping between the rooftops. _Chat Noir._

"And you're... you're sure this is the right night, Tikki?"

"99% positive. He's alone; you're normally with him. And if I remember the set up correctly, this is where 23 days ago should be."

_She was really going to see him again._

With eyes locked on his retreating form, Marinette tentatively placed her foot on the ground outside of the burrow. Her atoms once again rearranged as she made contact with the real world, the rug violently shoving itself back underneath her feet.

"Fluff, counter clockwise!" The Kwami was immediately expelled from the watch, looking very tired and confused as the latex melted away from Marinette's skin. The portal stitched itself back up behind them, leaving the odd quartet alone on the streets of the past. "When are we?" 

"Not too long ago. Just stay out of sight with Plagg." Fluff looked confused but didn't offer up any more questions. 

With a deep breath, Marinette turned to her kwami. "Tikki, spots on!"

A flash of pink light engulfed her petite frame, fading away to reveal Paris's guardian of red and black. Ladybug opened her yo-yo and pushed Fluff inside before reaching for Plagg. The kwami of destruction looked moderately miffed.

"Don't worry Plagg. I'll let you out before I catch up to him. I know you wanted to see him and you will. I'm just sorry you can't talk to him the way I can."

"It's okay. So long as I can smell his stinkiness one more time, even if it's from a distance, I think I'll be alright." He grinned, but his eyes lacked their usual sparkle. 

Ladybug closed the yo-yo as soon as he entered, took a deep breath, and began her pursuit. 

She hadn't transformed since Chat died. Hawkmoth hadn't sent any akumas, for which she was beyond grateful, but the real reason for avoiding _Ladybug_ was moreso the fact that nothing felt the same without him. She was so used to swinging across the rooftops with her partner, or at the very least meeting him on top of a building after they had separately ensured that Paris was safe. Though the suit had been cleansed of blood when she de-transformed, she couldn't help but picture the deep red from the bullet wound, staining as it pooled around her hands. 

_She used to love the color red._

Finally, she spotted him, vaulting between enclosure roofs at the zoo. He then threw himself onto the top of a nearby building and sat down, surveying the city streets around him.

_No time like the past._

She opened the yo-yo, letting Plagg out and shutting it quickly before Fluff could emerge to break the silence with another question. 

Plagg and Ladybug stood frozen, watching their partner's tail flit back and forth as he looked around Paris, the wind blowing through his hair. 

Then, she roped her yo-yo around a beam and launched herself onto the roof.

His cat ears twitched and he whipped around, confusion and surprise evident on his features.

"M'lady? I thought you weren't coming on patrol tonight."

Ladybug elicited something halfway between a laugh and a sob. _M'lady_.

She raced across the roof top and flung her arms around him, nearly knocking him over with the sheer force.

He stumbled back before wrapping his arms around her.

"Are you **feline** okay bugaboo? I'm definitely not complaining but..." She buried her head into his neck, wetting it with tears and she shook her head softly back and forth.

"Just hold me Chat... Just for five minutes. Please don't let go."

"I won't ever let go, I promise." His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to discern what was wrong without looking at her face. He just held her tighter, folding his neck down to lean against her head as he rubbed his hand up and down her shaking back.

They stayed like that until Ladybug slumped against him, breath evening as she neared sleep, standing in his arms. It was the first time nightmares didn't leap at her the second she closed her eyes.

"Hey bugaboo, you should probably head home. It's **cat** ting late." He grinned a little at his pun, shocked into a stupor when she instantly shot up, drowsiness drained from her face and body.

"Please don't make me go home."

His heart shattered as he gazed into her wild, pleading eyes.

"Is everything... okay?" He was hesitant, not sure how personal she would allow him to get this evening. 

She hastily nodded. "I just... I need to be with you right now. Please."

He could never refuse his lady. "Do you want to sit? My legs are getting a little tired."

She hesitated a moment. Then: "Could we maybe... lie down instead?"

Adrien turned fire truck red underneath his mask. 

"Uh... y-yes! Sure! Lie down! With you! Let's!"

He slowly sat down before hastily and awkwardly extending his lanky body into a lying down position. Without hesitating, Ladybug fell onto him, straddling him with her legs bent around his torso, face buried in his neck once more. Chat's face glowed even brighter as he lay motionless and straight underneath her. _Where should he put his hands? Could he touch her? Was she actually lying down on top of him? This wasn't just a crazy vivid dream, right?_ He finally settled for placing both hands around her back, hugging her close and savoring every moment, even though he still wasn't convinced it was real.

"I love you." Ladybug had barely whispered it. Anyone else would have no chance of hearing it, but his miraculous ears twitched as her breath hit the bare skin of his neck. 

His breathing faltered. _Now he was sure he was dreaming._

She didn't say anything more and didn't move a muscle, save the occasional sniffle. Chat Noir followed suit, remaining motionless underneath the love of his life. 

Gentle snores soon rose up from the small girl who lay on top of him and he couldn't help but wonder _how_ she could possibly sleep with their bodies so close together. Every single muscle he possessed was on high alert. Even if he could get used to her sleeping so close to him ( _which dear god, he hoped he would get the chance to get used to this_ ) he didn't think he would ever be able to fall asleep when she was this defenseless. Ladybug always protected him and he had always wanted the chance to do the same. As he tightened his arms around her sleeping form, he knew that he would do _anything_ to keep her safe. He didn't need sleep, safety, or sanity; He needed Ladybug to be well rested, happy, and loved ( _which dear god, was she loved_ ). Adrien smiled underneath the mask. _If he died tomorrow, he would die a happy man._

Ladybug woke to a gentle shake as the sun rose over Paris. She really hadn't meant to fall asleep. She had wanted to talk to him until the morning, not fall asleep on him until he had to go to school. 

"Chat Noir, I'm so sorry. I just had a rough day and I really needed to see you. I didn't mean to fall asleep, honestly. I just-"

"It's okay M'lady." He gently cut her off. "I'm always here if you need a **cat nap**. I'll see you again on patrol tonight?"

If he noticed her sharp inhalation, he said nothing.

"Yes. Patrol. Tonight. It's a date."

The last thing Marinette wanted to do was leave, but she knew Paris would be awaking soon. 

She turned to go, paused, then turned back before rushing up to Adrien. Ladybug placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, letting her lips linger a second or two longer than necessary on his flushed skin before she retreated. 

"Thank you, Minou."

"For what, M'Lady?"

_The last time she would ever hear M'lady._

"Everything."

And with that, they parted ways. Chat Noir, high on life, and Ladybug, feeling her world crash down for what was hopefully the last time.

As Marinette walked back into the portal, tears streaming silently down her cheeks, she realized she got five minutes Gabriel, Alya, and Nino never would. In fact, she had gotten more than five minutes. Though the hours passed by in a blink, she got more time with _him_ than anyone else ever would. As she stared between the tunnels, catching glimpses of Adrien's bouncing hair and Chat Noir's slinky grin, she couldn't help but think about what she wouldn't give for just _five minutes more_.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i hope you have a wonderful day filled with sunshine, love, and less angst than this fic :)


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